Self-care will forever be our favourite hobby but we appreciate that recharging and putting yourself first looks different for everyone. Each week, we'll be asking the celeb lot to share their ideal self-care Sunday routines, the hard-working beauty products they recommend to their friends and which TV show they're currently binging…
This week, it's all about YouTuber star and TV personality, Saffron Barker. Despite only being 23 years old, the star has achieved many brag-worthy accolades including starring on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, launching her own clothing range with In The Style, co-hosting chart-topping podcast, Sex Lies & DM Slides with BFF Anastasia Kingsnorth, amassing over 2 million subscribers on YouTube and even placing runner-up on The Celebrity Circle.
Yep, Saff is making huge, HUGE moves and we are so here for it. 👏
Now, the content creator has teamed up with skincare brand, Eucerin to share her recent experience with adult acne and highlight the importance of choosing derm-tested solutions that really do work (but more of that in a minute!)
To celebrate the campaign, Saffron chats exclusively to heat about her everyday make-up favourites, daily wellness habits and her £12 secret for fading acne marks...
On self-care routines
What does the ultimate self-care Sunday look like for Saff?
"My perfect self-care day would definitely be spent at home and doing all the things that make me feel good within myself. That would be skin and hair treatments and the usual things like a nice bath. Then, I always make sure that I go on a walk, get fresh air and it's always finished by a roast. That's my perfect self-care Sunday but typically I don't get them that often."
On adult acne
"I always had clear skin my entire life and to be honest, I was naive and didn't really quite understand. A lot of my friends suffered from acne and stuff in school and obviously, I felt for them but I don't think you really understand how much bad skin can affect you until you get it. I never really even had a skincare routine, which is awful, I didn't realise how important it was to look after my skin.
"Then all of a sudden, one day and I'm not even joking, I woke up one day with severe acne. It was bizarre. I was obviously distraught and I didn't know what to do with myself. Then I very quickly managed to get rid of it with something I was prescribed by the doctor but was left with loads of post-acne scars. I was so excited that the spots had gone, but I was left with all of these marks on my face, which was hard as from a distance it still looked like I had acne.
"That's why I started to work with Eucerin because they specialise in post-acne marks and treatments for it. They have this product called the DermoPurifyer Triple Effect Serum which has Thiamidol in, which is something they've created that gets rid of acne marks. That's something I'm still using today because it's one of those things that will go over time but it's faded so much. So to be honest, that is my everyday morning routine and it's absolutely part of my self-care Sunday.
www.lookfantastic.com
"I still get spots but not like I did before, so my main focus is using the Eucerin DermoPurifyer range so I can get rid of all the marks."
On budget beauty buys
"My favourite product of all time, I've actually been using it for a year now, but it's actually a hair gel that I use for my brows. It's the best brow gel you'll ever use. When I tell you your brows will not move, it's the best thing ever. The gel is designed for sleeking your hair back and brows and so good for the fluffy brow trend.
"Then another is my favourite mascara of all time, it's the Max Factor Masterpiece 2 In 1 Lash WOW mascara and it's absolutely incredible. It is the best mascara I've ever used and I've tried a lot of mascaras in my time, but it is the best of the best. It has two different ends for length and volume and it's just so good."
www.boots.com
On make-up ride or dies
"I love the Anastasia Beverly Hills cream bronzer, I pretty much use that every single day. I absolutely love the NYX lip-liners, they're so good.
"Also the NYX Butter Glosses. They have some of the best lip glosses I've ever, ever used. They're also the perfect size for your bag. Even though it's a gloss, I can't even explain it, the consistency and colours are so nice. I think they are the best glosses I've ever tried. I love the shade Fortune Cookie, I wear quite a few shades but that is one of my favourites for every day.
www.cultbeauty.co.uk
"My foundation is a little more on the expensive side, but my two favourite foundations ever are the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation and the Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish Foundation. They are amazing."
On genius make-up tips
Saffron has spent many a time in a make-up chair, so what's a really great tip she's learned recently?
"My make-up artist does this thing if you're going really glam, which I think is the coolest thing ever. When he first did this to me, I was like, 'This is going to make no difference to my face' but it really did work.
"If you want to look really snatched he applies contour before he does foundation. He contours my entire face and then puts foundation on and then basically contours again. I know it sounds like you have a lot of make-up on and you technically do, but it makes you look so insanely snatched. If I'm doing a red carpet or have a big event, that's what he'll do and it's my favourite thing.
"Another thing I've been doing is contouring with fake tan. I get my foundation brush, put a tiny bit of fake tan on and then contour really lightly. Then when you have no make-up on it makes your cheekbones and jawline look more prominent."
On daily wellness habits
"At the beginning of the year, I focused a lot on growing a bum, because throughout my whole life I never really targeted any areas when I went to the gym and I just did what made me feel good, which is totally fine. Then I decided I really wanted to grow muscle so I did that. Then over the summer I kind of lost all that, it was one of those things you really need to keep up and maintain.
"So I'm going to be doing that all over again and training my glutes is my biggest goal, if I'm being completely honest. But also I go to the gym because it makes me feel good, it's not just about looking good."
On gym workouts
Does Saffron follow any specific workout routine or is she more of a 'quick list in the Notes app' type of girl?
"I don't follow a specific routine because I've been going to the gym for so many years now and I know what I need to do to grow a certain muscle in my body or lose fat or whatever. I've educated myself enough that I don't need to follow a plan. At the beginning of the year, I was following a plan which is probably when I had my biggest body transformation so I'm sort of redoing it in a way that suits my schedule.
"Although I make my own plans, I have this book from Amazon and there are loads of versions of them. It's just a workout log book and they are the best things ever. You just write the exercises in and you write how many reps you do. It's just so good for keeping track. To grow muscle you need to be doing progressive overload, which is doing the same thing over and over and adding more weight where you can. I feel like physically writing it down is better and you actually stick to it more."
On life-changing books and podcasts
"My favourite motivational speaker who probably changed my life and changed my mindset is David Goggins. I don't know if you've ever heard of David Goggins, if you haven't you should listen to him because the journey he's gone on throughout his life is just insane. I actually listen to him every morning, I listen to a 10-minute motivational speech from David Goggins. That is, honesty hand on heart, part of my morning routine. It helps me not be lazy and get up and feel motivated all day.
"I also read a book called Manifest by Roxie Nafousi recently and it's such an amazing read. I find it really hard to finish a book, I'm dyslexic and it just requires a lot of effort. But it's the one book that I read very quickly because I loved it. I didn't actually realise but I've actually manifested my whole life without even realising. When reading the book, I thought I could have written this book myself, but it's amazing. I think it just makes you believe in yourself more than ever when you read it. It's definitely a book I'd recommend."
On wise advice
"There was a quote that I saw on TikTok and it was so cute. It was this old man talking and someone asked 'How do you get over heartbreak?' And he was basically saying you shouldn't look at it as heartbreak, you should look at it as heart shape and the person who's left is actually shaping your heart to find a new person. It was so cute. But now, if I ever get heartbroken, I'm going to think, 'No, I'm actually shaping my heart!'"
Quickfire round:
Show you’re currently binging? Gossip Girl for the third time!
Go-to cuppa? I love a hot chocolate - I don't like tea or coffee.
Favourite face mask? I don't really do face masks at the moment because of my acne.
Go-to takeaway order? It has to be pizza, so Domino's.
Favourite candle? It's my Penhaligons candle in Sinking Oud.